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At the bottom of each post there is the word "comments". If you click on it you will see comments made by followers, and if you follow the instructions you may also comment and I always welcome that. I have found many people overlook this part of the blog which is often more interesting than the original post!

My blog nick-name is SIR HUGH. I'm not from the aristocracy - my middle name is Hugh which relates to the list of 282 hills in Scotland compiled by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891. I climbed my last one (Sgurr Mor) on 28th June 2009

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Wednesday 11 June 2014

Not funny


I do not like practical jokes and wind-ups.

Yesterday I called at my local newsagent/postoffice to get cash and a sandwich before I set off on the seventeen mile walk round The Bay (Arnside to Grange-over-Sands) and return by train across the viaduct.

Ian, the proprietor is a fellow outdoor enthusiast and we chatted. I was telling him about the osprey nesting on the other side of the bay at Foulshaw Moss. A middle-aged, middle class guy in his chinos and multi pocketed gilet was listening; later as  I was enjoying my round the bay walk, I fantasised about him being the kind of guy who would be a stalwart at one of those golf clubs that don’t allow lady members. A couple of other customers were also listening as Mr Chino addressed me saying, “Somebody shot it out of its nest yesterday” .

I was of course shocked and upset at that news until I detected that this had been a wind-up as he followed up with, “I don’t know what all the fuss is about. It’s only a bird”.

I was now angry at being tricked - the best I could do was reply, “You’ve no heart”, and I observed nods of approval from the others as I turned and departed.

That sort of thing is not clever and annoys me beyond measure.
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                                                     Worth a click to enlarge

Ignore other blue routes. The "rocky promontory" is the same place I referred to on my geocache trip to Foulshaw Moss, "An Objective Demoted", 13th May. I stopped and munched my sandwich here - a remote and delightful venue.
Arnside railway viaduct from Arnside
Arnside railway viaduct - my route of return from Grange-over-Sands across the bay

Looking north up the bay (Kent estuary) towards The Howgills. My route goes all the way round

Dallam Bridge
Dallam weir and bridge - River Bela

The rocky promontory where I stopped for my sandwich

Arnside Knott
On the promontory. I like the colours of the lichens on the rocks here. Arnside Knott in the background



5 comments:

  1. Well done on the 17 mile walk. It looks like you had a good day. Re the joke, I promise it wasn’t me but i had to laugh.

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  2. I'm with you Conrad, not funny at all. Haven't done that walk for many years. Will have to make plans.

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  3. Alan R and T Y L - It's not the best walk ever. There is quite a lot of Tarmac including the A6 around Levens, but the part along the levee is worth all the rest being not easy to get to or lending itself to a circular route. And I suppose there is the attraction of following what is an obvious "line" round the bay. It is only the second time I have done it in my fourteen years living in Arnside.

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  4. I'm fairly certain that a "wind up" means the bird wasn't actually shot. Either way, one always thinks of the best retorts too late. It took me a full minute to come up with "I thought someone had dog shit on their shoe. It was only you."

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  5. edsbath- I have had a dictionary of slang for several years and every time I look for something it isn't there, but you have now made its purchase worthwhile:

    wind-up: an attempt to irritate or to hoax someone or pull their leg.

    An earliest reference is quoted from The Times in 1984.

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